Description
Adversaries may acquire domains that can be used during targeting. Domain names are the human readable names used to represent one or more IP addresses. They can be purchased or, in some cases, acquired for free.
Adversaries may use acquired domains for a variety of purposes, including for Phishing, Drive-by Compromise, and Command and Control.(Citation: CISA MSS Sep 2020) Adversaries may choose domains that are similar to legitimate domains, including through use of homoglyphs or use of a different top-level domain (TLD).(Citation: FireEye APT28)(Citation: PaypalScam) Typosquatting may be used to aid in delivery of payloads via Drive-by Compromise. Adversaries may also use internationalized domain names (IDNs) and different character sets (e.g. Cyrillic, Greek, etc.) to execute "IDN homograph attacks," creating visually similar lookalike domains used to deliver malware to victim machines.(Citation: CISA IDN ST05-016)(Citation: tt_httrack_fake_domains)(Citation: tt_obliqueRAT)(Citation: httrack_unhcr)(Citation: lazgroup_idn_phishing)
Different URIs/URLs may also be dynamically generated to uniquely serve malicious content to victims (including one-time, single use domain names).(Citation: iOS URL Scheme)(Citation: URI)(Citation: URI Use)(Citation: URI Unique)
Adversaries may also acquire and repurpose expired domains, which may be potentially already allowlisted/trusted by defenders based on an existing reputation/history.(Citation: Categorisation_not_boundary)(Citation: Domain_Steal_CC)(Citation: Redirectors_Domain_Fronting)(Citation: bypass_webproxy_filtering)
Domain registrars each maintain a publicly viewable database that displays contact information for every registered domain. Private WHOIS services display alternative information, such as their own company data, rather than the owner of the domain. Adversaries may use such private WHOIS services to obscure information about who owns a purchased domain. Adversaries may further interrupt efforts to track their infrastructure by using varied registration information and purchasing domains with different domain registrars.(Citation: Mandiant APT1)
In addition to legitimately purchasing a domain, an adversary may register a new domain in a compromised environment. For example, in AWS environments, adversaries may leverage the Route53 domain service to register a domain and create hosted zones pointing to resources of the threat actor’s choosing.(Citation: Invictus IR DangerDev 2024)
Platforms
Mitigations (1)
Pre-compromiseM1056
Organizations may intentionally register similar domains to their own to deter adversaries from creating typosquatting domains. Other facets of this technique cannot be easily mitigated with preventive controls since it is based on behaviors performed outside of the scope of enterprise defenses and controls.
Threat Groups (46)
| ID | Group | Context |
|---|---|---|
| G0082 | APT38 | [APT38](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0082) has created fake domains to imitate legitimate venture capital or bank domains.(Citation: 1 - appv) |
| G0094 | Kimsuky | [Kimsuky](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0094) has registered domains to spoof targeted organizations and trusted third parties including search eng... |
| G1011 | EXOTIC LILY | [EXOTIC LILY](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1011) has registered domains to spoof targeted organizations by changing the top-level domain (TLD) to ... |
| G0035 | Dragonfly | [Dragonfly](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0035) has registered domains for targeting intended victims.(Citation: CISA AA20-296A Berserk Bear Decemb... |
| G0045 | menuPass | [menuPass](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0045) has registered malicious domains for use in intrusion campaigns.(Citation: DOJ APT10 Dec 2018)(Citat... |
| G0050 | APT32 | [APT32](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0050) has set up and operated websites to gather information and deliver malware.(Citation: Volexity Ocean Lo... |
| G0069 | MuddyWater | [MuddyWater](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0069) has established domains, some of which appeared to spoof legitimate domains for use in operations.... |
| G1042 | RedEcho | [RedEcho](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1042) has registered domains spoofing Indian critical infrastructure entities.(Citation: RecordedFuture Red... |
| G0047 | Gamaredon Group | [Gamaredon Group](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0047) has registered multiple domains to facilitate payload staging and C2.(Citation: Microsoft Act... |
| G1046 | Storm-1811 | [Storm-1811](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1046) has created domains for use with RMM tools.(Citation: rapid7-email-bombing) |
| G0139 | TeamTNT | [TeamTNT](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0139) has obtained domains to host their payloads.(Citation: Palo Alto Black-T October 2020) |
| G0046 | FIN7 | [FIN7](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0046) has registered look-alike domains for use in phishing campaigns.(Citation: eSentire FIN7 July 2021) Addi... |
| G0034 | Sandworm Team | [Sandworm Team](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0034) has registered domain names and created URLs that are often designed to mimic or spoof legitima... |
| G1012 | CURIUM | [CURIUM](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1012) created domains to facilitate strategic website compromise and credential capture activities.(Citation... |
| G0129 | Mustang Panda | [Mustang Panda](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0129) has acquired C2 domains prior to operations.(Citation: Secureworks BRONZE PRESIDENT December 20... |
| G0128 | ZIRCONIUM | [ZIRCONIUM](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0128) has purchased domains for use in targeted campaigns.(Citation: Microsoft Targeting Elections Septem... |
| G1015 | Scattered Spider | [Scattered Spider](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1015) has registered domains to spoof legitimate corporate login portals.(Citation: Check Point Sc... |
| G1052 | Contagious Interview | [Contagious Interview](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1052) has registered domains to leverage in their social engineering campaigns.(Citation: Reco... |
| G1018 | TA2541 | [TA2541](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1018) has registered domains often containing the keywords “kimjoy,” “h0pe,” and “grace,” using domain regis... |
| G0049 | OilRig | [OilRig](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0049) has set up fake VPN portals, conference sign ups, and job application websites to target victims.(Cita... |
Associated Software (3)
| ID | Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1130 | Raspberry Robin | Malware | [Raspberry Robin](https://attack.mitre.org/software/S1130) uses newly-registered domains containing only a few characters for command and controll pur... |
| S1111 | DarkGate | Malware | [DarkGate](https://attack.mitre.org/software/S1111) command and control includes hard-coded domains in the malware chosen to masquerade as legitimate ... |
| S1207 | XLoader | Malware | [XLoader](https://attack.mitre.org/software/S1207) can utilize hardcoded command and control domain configurations created by the XLoader authors. The... |
References
- Australian Cyber Security Centre. National Security Agency. (2020, April 21). Detect and Prevent Web Shell Malware. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- Bob Sullivan. (2000, July 24). PayPal alert! Beware the 'PaypaI' scam. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- CISA. (2019, September 27). Security Tip (ST05-016): Understanding Internationalized Domain Names. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
- CISA. (2020, September 14). Alert (AA20-258A): Chinese Ministry of State Security-Affiliated Cyber Threat Actor Activity. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- Fehrman, B. (2017, April 13). How to Bypass Web-Proxy Filtering. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- FireEye. (2015). APT28: A WINDOW INTO RUSSIA’S CYBER ESPIONAGE OPERATIONS?. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
- Invictus Incident Response. (2024, January 31). The curious case of [email protected]. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- Krebs, B. (2018, November 13). That Domain You Forgot to Renew? Yeah, it’s Now Stealing Credit Cards. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- Malhotra, A., McKay, K. et al. (2021, May 13). Transparent Tribe APT expands its Windows malware arsenal . Retrieved July 29, 2022.
- Malhotra, A., Thattil, J. et al. (2022, March 29). Transparent Tribe campaign uses new bespoke malware to target Indian government officials . Retrieved September 6, 2022.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is T1583.001 (Domains)?
T1583.001 is a MITRE ATT&CK technique named 'Domains'. It belongs to the Resource Development tactic(s). Adversaries may acquire domains that can be used during targeting. Domain names are the human readable names used to represent one or more IP addresses. They can be purchased or, in some cases, acquir...
How can T1583.001 be detected?
Detection of T1583.001 (Domains) typically involves monitoring system logs, network traffic, and endpoint telemetry. Use SIEM rules, EDR solutions, and behavioral analytics to identify suspicious activity associated with this technique.
What mitigations exist for T1583.001?
There are 1 documented mitigations for T1583.001. Key mitigations include: Pre-compromise.
Which threat groups use T1583.001?
Known threat groups using T1583.001 include: APT38, Kimsuky, EXOTIC LILY, Dragonfly, menuPass, APT32, MuddyWater, RedEcho.